Westport School Donates Gifts To Needy Families

Hundreds of holiday gifts collected by students, parents and staff at Westport's Long Lots Elementary School, will be distributed to area families in need.Photo Credit: ContributedEvergreen Network and Lions Heart program volunteers load truck with hundreds of gifts for Evergreen Network recipients. The gifts were donated by the Long Lots School community.Photo Credit: ContributedFrom left, Lions Heart Committee members Kecia Von Der Ahe, Christina Bassler, Melisa Didio, Nancy Plotkin and Charlotte Strandell coordinate the assembly of gifts outside Long Lots School Thursday.Photo Credit: Contributed

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WESTPORT, Conn. – Students, parents and staff at Long Lots Elementary School in Westport joined forces to collect hundreds of holiday toys, gift cards and other necessities for families in need as part of the school’s annual Lion’s Heart gift-giving program, an announcement from the school said.

This year’s program benefited the Evergreen Network, a Bridgeport-based nonprofit that supports children born to parents with AIDS or HIV, and the Westport Human Services Department.

Over the course of several weeks, students and their families raised $6,700 for the program.

A portion of the money went toward buying items requested on holiday wish lists from Evergreen Network families. Items ranged from basic necessities like toothbrushes and warm clothing, to toys and games.

In addition to the gifts that were purchased, the Long Lots community also collected dozens of new toys, which helped fulfill the wish lists.

Every Long Lots student helped wrap the gifts, which were picked up by volunteers from the Evergreen Network Thursday. In all, the Long Lots community filled holiday wish lists for 40 individual families, or 197 individuals.

The remaining money was used to buy gift cards for groceries, gas and other items for low-income families in Westport. The gift cards were donated to the Westport Human Services Department, which will distribute them to its clients.